Abstract

The energy crisis has been recently widespread all over the world due to fossil fuel scarcity that leads price increase of oil fuel. Such condition has promptly encouraged the government to put considerably attempts on national energy saving and renewable fuel resources, particularly jathropa plant. Jathropa plant is potentially considered to become vegetable oil that in turn processed into alternative oil fuel in replace of fossil fuel (diesel fuel and kerosene).
The usage effectivity of both leaf fertilizer and watering interval on jathropa plant is not recently yet considered by most researchers. Jathropa plant (Jatropha curcas L.), however, is one of perennial plants that the government intends it to be material substitute of fossil fuel, geeting through plant yield-based biodiesel usage.
This research aims to study the difference of jathropa plant growth based on various leaf fertilizer and watering interval on drought lands, to find out best leaf fertilizer type for seeding jathropa plant seedling (Jatropha curcas L.), and to know the precise watering interval for the jathropa seedling growth (Jatropha curcas L.)
The research was conducted in Experimental field of Agricultural Faculty, Muhammadiyah University of Malang. the research was planned to take times between December 2007 until it is all accomplished in 550 metres from high sea level. .
tools used in this research are as follow: scales, ruler, roll metre, sprayer, pile, beaker glass, polybag, plough, seed box and sliding scales, and camera for ducmentation.
materials needed in this research are as follow: 1) Jathropa seeds IP-1A, 2) various leaf fertilizers; those with nutrient content of 32% N, 10% P, 10% K, Ca, Mg, S, B, Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn is called Groumor fertilizer / C1, those with nutrient content of 21% N, 21% P, 21% K, B, Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Mo is called Campion fertilizer / C2, and those with nutrient content of 11% N, 8% P, 6% K, Mg, Fe, B, Cu, Zn, Co is called Bayfolan fertilizer / C3, 3) water, 4) planting medium (soil, sand, compost).
On the basis of analysis of variance about effect of liquid leaf-fertilizer and different watering interval on jathropa plant, conclusions can be drawn that such interaction between various liquid leaf-fertilizer and watering intervals occured only on leaf number variables on first and third observations. Furthermore, no interaction occured on entire variables and observation periods. A relatively better significant treatments on plant growth existed in fertilizer C2 (Bayfolan leaf fertilizer), and watering interval of 2 days once for as much as 50 ml per plant (A2).